Here's a great, last-minute opportunity to interact one-on-one with a major player in the field of environmental and dietary influences on gene expression. From the Duke University Office of News and Communications:
Charles Darwin famously reasoned that genetic traits change over many generations through natural selection, but the new field of “epigenetics” is finding that nurture can change nature more directly. Duke Professor Randy Jirtle will discuss epigenetics and answer viewers’ questions during a live “Office Hours” webcast interview at noon (17:00 GMT) Friday, Jan. 22, on Duke’s Ustream channel.
To ask a question of Jirtle in advance or during the session, send an email to live@duke.edu, post a comment on the Duke University Live Ustream page on Facebook or tweet with the tag #dukelive.
The science of epigenetics explores the molecular activity that influences the expression of genes. Jirtle emerged as a pioneer in the field with a 2003 study in which he showed how the genetic expression of a baby mouse’s fur color could be altered by changing its mother’s diet during pregnancy. Recent stories on epigenetics by NOVA, Time and the Washington Post have cited his research. Jirtle’s lab chronicles developments in the field on the Geneimprint website
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I'm sorry that I missed this - noon EST was 9am PST, and I was just awake then.
Here, though, is something I've written about epigenesis (one of my favorite things to think about): http://thoughtfulanimal.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/probabilistic-epigenes…
is there a causal link between HIV-1 infection and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency ? Does Z-A1AT (or other SERPINA1 gene mutations) cause AIDS in HIV-1 infected individuals, perhaps with the help of the HFE C282Y gene mutation (or other HFE gene mutations) ?